And the cannon sounds again, as latest victim Marion Hossa is removed from the ice on a stretcher. All around the league superstars are dropping like flies, and surprise, surprise, it was another goon wielding the axe. And his penalty? The NHL has suspended Raffi Torres indefinitely, pending a hearing tomorrow afternoon (Friday).
Raffi Torres (the “axe man” in this case) is one of the dirtiest players in the league. He has been a dirty player for years, but it has only really come to light over the past two seasons where he’s had repeated incidents. Here is a glimpse of his crimes:
– Hit to the head on Jordan Eberle on April 5th 2011, 4 game suspension
– Hit on Brent Seabrook on April 17th 2011, knocked him out for the series
– Elbow on Jan Hejda on Dec 29th 2011, $2500 fine
– Charge on Nate Prosser 2 on Dec 31st 2011, 2 game suspension
– Charge and hit to the head on Marian Hossa on April 17th 2012, TBA on Friday, April 20.
Surprisingly enough there was no penalty on the play in which Hossa was hit, but there is no doubt in my mind that he will face a hearing with the Head of Player Safety, Brendan Shanahan. Torres clearly took a running leap and targeted Hossa’s head. Hossa remains out indefinitely, having just been released from a Chicago area hospital. And that’s the real loss. And not just to the Chicago Blackhawks, but to the fans and to the game of hockey as well.
Losing a goon for X number of games, to take out an opposing superstar, is win-win. And the problem is there is no answer for it. You can suspend or even expel guys until the cows come home, but there will always be a plethora of two-bit thugs out there looking to make a buck, and possibly a name for themselves. The only real answer would be to punish the teams more severely to deter them from even carrying these types of players. Who would then be nothing more than walking liabilities.
What do you think a reasonable punishment would be?
-For every game that a player is suspended for that team will have to start by killing a 5-minute major?
-Very steep team fines for every game of suspension?
-The team has to play short one man on their bench for every player suspended?
…and that is the last word.
